Hawaiianology

Gravy Fried Saimin is a type of saimin dish made by stir -frying boiled saimin with ingredients such as onion, carrots, cabbage, pork, and seasoning it with shoyu-dashi sauce and oil. It is a saimin dish that originated in Hawaii. It is different from many other Country Fried Saimin Noodles as there are a wide variety of saimin dishes with a type focusing on Okuhara-type noodles and flavored with sauce that was served in Okazuya-style take-out counters after 1965. Other similar saimin dishes will also be explained to make sure there is a Hawaii Saimin Guide.

Hawaiian Creamsicle Cake, an Hawaiian creamsicle cake is a Hawaii dessert that started from the American Orange Creamsicle Cake and made it into a layered cake. It aimed to replicate the flavors of the classic orange and vanilla ice cream treat by Meadow Gold Ice Cream Orange Dream Bars that were from 1950. The cake does not have ice cream in it, however there are also Hawaiian Ice Cream Cake variation that brings Vanilla-Orange sherbert to the party. It typically features a moist, orange-flavored cake paired with a vanilla or orange-vanilla creme flavored frosting or filling. Some recipes incorporate zest, juice, or even Jell-O for a more pronounced orange flavor. The frosting is often a light and airy buttercream or whipped cream, mirroring the creamy texture of the creamsicles vanilla center. The Popsicle, was pioneered by Frank Epperson in 1905 and the Creamsicle by the Joe Lowe Company after they acquiring the Popsicle brand. They then would go on to feature a vanilla ice cream ce...

Roy Ramey “Skill Roy” was his street name and as some who referred to his legacy he would be known by some on the mainland as “The Father of Hawaiian Breakin” a legend among the Hawaii Hip Hop world and the World in general. He got his start from seeing his sister’s son do a routine of a dance move called “Locking” and got inspired and wanted to do it more from a Michael Jackson performance, but there was no one wanting to teach him. He then started to do another dance that would come to Hawaii, which was “Popping” where there was the robot feeling and anti-gravity feel of moonwalking. And then another dance would come out… it would be soon after he would be introduced to “Breaking” for the first time. In 1983 where the Wizard Bboys Crew had leader Tricks invite Crazy Legs from New York to do a performance in Hawaii to introduce the people to what was then a new dance called “Breaking”. “Skill Roy has so much Aloha for everyone. Even when he was at the top of his game he took the time ...

Paul Taber “The Hawaii Rooted Restaurateur“ was a Hawaii Restaurateur, Talent Finder, and Business oriented thinker who analyzed local Hawaii Hospitality methods with a focus on Restaurant techniques. His approach was based on that of The Weaver Brothers, two of the restaurateurs that gave people pride in Hawaii Restaurant Establishments; Taber’s achievement was to focus and develop employees who had a humble and family-style to them, in particular a few standouts were Gordon Yoshida, Bobby Hirasa, and others. On the mainland he was nicknamed The Hawaii Rooted Restaurateur as he would refer to his time, experiences, and values based on being deeply rooted in the way of life he found, respected, and adapted to as a resident. Taber was part of a circle of preeminent figures in the Hawaii Restaurant scene during the 1960s as he helped build with others a burgeoning hospitality industry that had enormous potential if it was kept intact. From the Korean War to Hawaii Taber was born and rais...

Geoffrey Arakawa "The Seafood General" was part of the famous Arakawa Family in Waipahu. His grandfather, also quite famous, was Zenpan Arakawa, founder of the famous Arakawa Store. In this part of time there was rich plantation culture and skilled cooks that started their careers in the area. He is one of the most respected chefs where old time customers will trek to the places he has been featured for some of Hawaii’s best seafood dishes and has been called Master Chef Geoffrey Arakawa. He has been known to be a master of seafood and a legendary chef that has rigorously worked to refine his taste to make dishes that spoke to the customers. He grew up with an ocean that had plentiful sandy beaches and in the deeper parts was teeming with an abundance of seafood to be caught that would make it to the market at the ports.  There is one man who knows all there is to know of that world from spending time enjoying the water to creating dishes with the seafood in water and is know...

The Fogcutter was built by Steve Raish who was involved in building several similar rustic bars in Waikiki one of them was Pieces of Eight and had a few projects in Lahaina. The guy had a hard time looking at ugly bars in his friends place as he would say that the room would scream for it to be better. He would go out and look for scraps to see if there would be a way to build the bar in an affordable manner with broken telephone poles, electric section of the scrap yard, and what was laying around as trash to be discarded. He was always good with that sort of thing and would help people with refurbishing and knew a bit about how to rebuild plantation style homes. It all started when the owners broke ground and they met a few people around which a few seemed interested in working there. Fogcutter was a place that people would be going for seafood and giant ice cream sundaes with fudge pouring over the glass. When you would enter there would be a sight to see, because you would have to ...

The pomai-sumotori (Good Luck Sumo) sometimes referred to simply as “Da Sumo Statue” is a Hawaii figurine which has stories that have people believe in strength and longevity to the owner. The Word Pomai is the Hawaiian word for good fortune or a blessing of profit and prosperity while the word Sumotori is Japanese for Sumo Wrestler. In the appearance of the statue it is round and fat with a look of being ready or prepared for something, and in the case of restaurants its for a meal made for a hungry person. The figure depicts a Hawaiian sumo, traditionally a local-born Hawaii Sumo, in a Japanese Sankyo Stance. The figurines are known to be displayed in the center of a restaurant and if there are food challenges a Chinese Pasi Gong accompanies the figure. Pomai Sumotori could come in different colors, styles, and varying degrees of detail. There were a few who use to call it “Buddha” for its large size and similar sized stomach as a statue of the buddha. Many businesses would find the ...

  Going across the seas and entering the islands by plane there is a sense of adventure from seeing the islands from afar to seeing them up close and living by the place and its people. Coming over from Manhattan to Hawaii would be a far jump of faith to open a place that would start bringing some fine dining flair of Italian food to Hawaii on Oahu with a restaurant known as Italian restaurant Castagnola's in Manoa Marketplace (1984). In this place is where the movement of Italian dishes would become apart of the food landscape of Hawaii from fine dining to plate lunches and the many chefs that followed the tracks that were layed by the eatery. On each island there was dishes like Baked Spaghetti that have been known for years or even some Pasta Salad and even some Baked Macaroni that was simple and satisfying. However, things would change with the man known as Cass (aka. George Castagnola). Some customers would know him by "Pasta Pops" as a way to lesson the formalities ...

Ginger Mochiko Chicken, it is a regional dish from Kauai made with a large punch of sauce marinade and ginger that is similar to other Hawaii fried chicken dishes. The chicken is fried along side other dishes like fried wontons and fried shrimp or vegetables. Ginger Mochiko came from households looking for a budget food of their favorite eateries dishes like the famed Hanamaulu Cafe which comes from...you guessed it! Hanamaulu Ginger Chicken of the Hanamaulu area. After collecting stories of those who take pride in the memory of the dish I was able to see similarities in some of the old recipe cards. While there is not a lot of variation there are some that are similar in particular areas in which they enjoyed a certain seasoning in their ginger fried chicken. They were within the areas of Hanamaulu, Kapaa, Hanapepe, and Poipu. Ginger Fried Chicken is apart of the food history of Kauai. Many have made it in variations of corn starch and all purpose flour and more popular these days is ...

  Ilikai Hotel “Where Waikiki Begins” was the first hotel-resort condominium developed in Hawai’i . As many buildings at that time are part of the original iconic landmarks of Waikiki, but in this case it was one of the largest condominiums in the world called “The Big I”. The Ilikai opened in 1964, located at 1777 Ala Moana Blvd. While the Royal Hawaiian Hotel was considered antique, the Ilikai was considered a Post War Mid Century Modern idea, a Condotel-style building, developed by Chinn Ho (Works. Washington Space Needle) and designed by John Graham Jr. The Ilikai was in the opening of Hawaii Five-O (1968-1980), restaurants, nightclubs, and performers kept it a bustling and happening place. The look of concrete, strength, and urban look would catch on as a symbol of the 1960’s and places like the Waikikian that symbolized much of old Waikiki of the 1950’s. It was one of the first highrises in Hawaii and had people questioning the future of the island if it would take the direct...

Heʻe Laulau (Octopus Wrapped Leaf), Heʻe Laulau is a modern Hawaiian dish that reimagines the traditional laulau by featuring heʻe (octopus), often prepared with rich, savory enhancements like butter and mayonnaise-based sauces. While rooted in the ancient practice of cooking foods wrapped in leaves, this specific preparation highlights contemporary culinary influences. It typically consists of tender heʻe (octopus), often the day octopus (Octopus cyanea), wrapped in taro leaves (Luau leaves) and then wrapped in banana leaves (or sometimes ti leaves, as used in traditional laulau).  The dish is celebrated for its distinctive savory and umami flavor profile. The octopus, when massaged for a long time and cooked slowly it becomes remarkably tender. It absorbs everything and that is what makes the sauce important, even if traditional laulau is not big on sauce. The inclusion of a butter-mayonnaise sauce is what adds the creaminess and fatty depth with a subtle salty after taste. When ...

Squid Luau known as Luau He'e in Hawaiian and also as Squid Luau Stew. It is  derived from richness of the stew and changes with the Post-Contact taste in food as much as people don't like to talk about it. Squid Luau comes from the words Squid that is talking not about actual squid the Muhehe that can mean squid or cuttlefish, but about the "He'e" the octopus. The dish is a young taro-leaf based stew that has the consistency of gravy. It is a comfort food for many people in Hawaii as a beloved food in many homes, which it is common for people to add things like Kalua Pork on top. Speaking of Kalua Pork it goes well with its smokey and salty flavor as it is dipped into the creamy and slightly sweet squid luau. "It's basically the top of our Taro Plants that are cooked down in coconut milk and added in sliced pieces of octopus. That top of the taro plant we call it Luau. So a lot of it is derived from a lot of the parts of the taro plant." -Chef Kealo...

He’e Hakakaula  (octopus threads) is an octopus dish and hangs on a rack which is the “haka” and it is thread like as its eaten and thats the “Kaula”. It comes from a technique of marinated meat that is used for beef called Pipi Kaula where the flavor concentrates after air-drying and that is done for the octopus, which can be done after a 30 minute smoking process. It's a hardy flavor and it is dehydrated from deep frying in oil as it is served hot. The dehydrating process is known from the 1950’s and found in Kalihi and is noted to have been popularized by Helena’s Hawaiian foods that makes Pipi Hakakaula Short Ribs. The octopus when it is caught, bought, etc is usually thrown into a freezer for the reason of long term storage and of course the breaking down of the meat to help tenderize it. When it thaws out the octopus will have to be de-slimed because there is a protective coating that is bland and nasty that can be taken off with almost ½ cup of salt and then it needs to be w...

  He'e Luau Laikiku Rice  has its humble beginnings in the Hawaii Plantation Era, and is more than just a dish— it’s a story of culinary adaptation and cultural fusion. The genesis of the dish is traced to steamed rice and it was a simple solution to avoid wasting ingredients that seem to go with nothing else and using rice as a flavoring vessel. The process of puree-mixing with a liquid in a rice pot, a common cooking utensil in Hawaiian kitchens, not only steaming the rice but also imparting a distinct flavor, especially when combined with bits of seafoods, vegetables, and sauces. Over the decades as Hawaiian cuisine had been closed off to only select recipes from historians, so it went under the radar. Laikiku rice evolved by absorbing local flavors and ingredients, being the precursor to people favoring the fried taste of fried rice over steamed variations. Steamed Rice (aka. Laikiku Rice) got its name from more people practicing Olelo Hawaiian and to describe the rice as ...

Hawaii Stir-fried String Beans are delicious as it is made with garlic-shoyu with oyster sauce, sometimes a spicy one with ginger-garlic sambal, or even black bean with sesame seeds. It also isn't uncommon to see people cooking it with different variations of portuguese sausage and add seasonings that compliment the variant of sausage. Hawaii Stir-fried String Beans originate from Hawaii Chinese Cuisine and is based on Sichuan Cuisine's "Dry-Fried Green Beans" (Gan Bian Si Ji Dou - 干煸四季豆). The reason it gained popularity was that it used an ingredient that was regularly available and it grew pretty quickly. It is a staple to find at the Hawaii Farmers Markets and has been eaten with all sorts of foods for its versatility. It can be found on Hawaii-Chinese Cuisine menus, Hawaii-Cajun Cuisine menus, and found on the table in many Local Homes. Chinese Long Beans have been eaten in Hawaii for a long time and they are also known as yard-long beans, asparagus beans, or just...

Kō Corn Cobb  is a regional variation of Corn on the cob that refers to a whole ear of sweet corn, with the kernels still attached to the inedible part of the cob. In Hawaii its typically eaten after being cooked (boiled, steamed, grilled, or roasted), and people usually hold the cob and eat the kernels directly off it, or sometimes people cut the kernels off with a knife. Places like Kahuku have farms like Nozawa Farm, that have been growing and perfecting the corn for decades to make sure that more people eat more corn and more corn cobb. It was a specific hybrid that from the well-known "Hawaiian Supersweet 39" developed by Dr. Brewbaker from the University of Hawaii. The original name sounded to scientific, so it was just called Sweet Corn, then Kahuku Sweet Corn, and then Kō Corn. The corn as well as the dishes are noted for their enjoyment from Local residence as well as the abilities of the corn. The Hawaii varieties of corn have a resistance to tropical diseases a...

Hawaii Crispy Pea Salad, is a classic Hawaii side dish that features the "pea" that is mixed in with a bunch of creamy mayonnaise and sour cream. Its made with frozen baby peas and with sugar snap peas for crunch, so there are various textures and flavor in the dish and good for a cold counter. It is also vegan adaptable as some recipes look for cream alternatives that are not mayonnaise with eggs and not a vegan-sour cream. Greek Yogurt has similar creamy and sour elements that make it a good candidate to be used as a substitute for the sour cream. Its a good way to add vegetables to the diet and was popularized from the historical Ward Centre eatery called "Ryan's Grill". It is a dish that is eaten on the North West Region of the United States coast, but Hawaii has its own adapted version of it. In Hawaii, people will call it "Ryan's Famous Pea Salad" or just "Hawaii Pea Salad", because there are some parts of it that make people think ...

Hukilau Pot , also known as a "Hawaiian Seafood Boil", "Local Seafood Boil", or simply a "Hukilau Boil", and most commonly a "Hawaiian Boil" .It is a Hawaii-Cajun cuisine dish that is part of Hawaii-Haole cuisine and thus part of the overall Hawaii Cuisine. It is thought to become popularized for the family-style eating style that had slowly changed overtime in Hawaii to fit local culture and tastes. As any other seafood boil it has its roots in the United States, changed with Hawaii Regional Cuisine movement and resident interpretations, and became a dish of its own as a sort of Hawaii State Seafood Boil. The Regional variations within Hawaii showcase different sorts of seafood the accompaniments, side dishes, preparation, techniques (boiling, steaming, imu, baking, leaf-wrapped, or raw). While boils have been traditionally associated with coastal regions of the United States it has slowly gained popularity across the United States where regiona...

Garlic Paka Sauce, also known as "Garlic Butter Sauce" originates from classic paka sauce that has its roots in butter and places that had access to dairies due to the access of butter. Paka Butter sauce is tied to the culinary traditions of the North of Oahu as well as Northwestern Maui and Northern Big Island. A area in particular that is known to have popularized it with its bright landscapes, sunny beaches, and coastal proximity, which provides an abundance of fresh seafood, access to dairy products, and farms is the North Shore of Oahu. The sauces were often used to flavor rice, bread, and even poi, as it accompanied quality crustaceans and fish as well as other sorts of seafood primarily, but later it included meats and vegetables.  The sauces history starts off from the history of the food establishments in the area that affected the areas gastronomic identity. With an emphasis on butter, creams, and alcohols the roots of the dish can be traced to the popularity of the...

Garlic Fried Saimin , also known as "Garlic Noodles" are fried noodles that are often found in the recipes using garlic were labeled Pot Luck Saimin. In Hawaii, it is usually referred to as fried saimin noodles with garlic or chinese egg noodles that are a little thick. The noodles are curly, while the sauce that is added can have oil, shoyu, butter, and seasonings to make sure the flavor can be tasted. It was actually not something that stuck as many people who grew up with fried saimin may not have even heard of it, but to those who ated would start adding more garlic to their own recipes. At this time garlic fried saimin was not included as something associated at all with western cuisine as it was a local style of eating the noodles of Hawaii. Etymology:  Garlic Fried Saimin is mainly associated with Cajun-style or the Local-style in Hawaii, but both tend to be widely available with toppings and butter-sauces depending on the area. The name comes from "garlic" r...